


Unexpected House Guests

by CrazyBeCat, kitteninthesky12



Series: MACpuppyverse [1]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Adorable, Cute, F/F, Fluffy, LJ fic-a-thon, Mac - Freeform, Puppies, part one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-09 00:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4327479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyBeCat/pseuds/CrazyBeCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitteninthesky12/pseuds/kitteninthesky12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cruella brings home a surprise, much to the enjoyment of Cassidy, Caroline, and Andrea, and very much to Miranda's exasperation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected House Guests

**Author's Note:**

> This is part one of our Live Journal July Fic-a-thon submission. Part Two will be up tomorrow.  
> We hope you enjoy!

Andy smiled when she heard the front door open and close. That meant Cruella was home. She pressed a kiss to Miranda’s cheek as she said, “I’ll bring her up.” Carefully untangling herself from Miranda’s legs, she hurried from the study.

“Cru, I’m so glad you’re home,” she called as she descended the stairs, hearing the girls trampling after her.

“Andy, darling, I’ve the most wonderful news!” Cruella swept into the foyer dramatically.

“Really? What is it,” Cassidy and Caroline called down the stairs, giggling as they caught up with Andy.

Cruella smiled brightly, and waved them down the last set of stairs. “Come and see, my loves. Gather round.”

“What have you got there, Cruella?” Andy questioned suspiciously noticing what appeared to be a large, unmarked, cardboard box by Cruella’s feet.

“OH MY GOD,” the twins squealed in unison as they peered inside, “PUPPIES!”

“Cru? Why on earth do you have a box full of puppies?” Andy quickly grabbed at the girls’ hands. “No, girls, don’t touch them. Not yet at least. Miranda is not going to appreciate this at all….”

“What aren’t I going to appreciate?” They all jumped at Miranda’s voice sounding from the top of the near stairs.

“Oh, uh, yeah, it’s nothing it’s--”

Cruella reached into the box and pulled one of the little animals out, showing it off with a proud smile. “Puppies, darling! Aren’t they marvelous?”

“Oh, Cruella,” Miranda sighed, and came down the rest of the stairs, “you haven’t.”

“I have,” the designer cackled.

“Mom can we hold them?” the twins asked in unison.

“No, girls. Not right now. Where did you get them from?”

“The poor little creatures were just left outside on the street in this cardboard box all alone! The little darlings are shivering. I just had to bring them in to warm up.” She brought the puppy in her hands up to her chest and cuddled it close. “I couldn’t just leave them there, darling.”

“Cruella! There are seven dogs in the box. No. Absolutely not. You will return them to wherever you found them immediately.”

“I’ll do nothing of the sort. They’ll die out there. It’s December and it’s freezing. Would you really doom these precious babies? Look at their faces and tell them you want them to perish out in the cold. Go on.” Cruella stuck the puppy into Miranda’s face and raised an eyebrow.

“Yea, Mom! Look at them! They’re so cute,” Cassidy exclaimed.

“Miranda,” Andy sighed, “It is really cold out... One night couldn’t hurt.”

//MAC//

Looking first at her daughters, then to Andrea, and finally to the puppy that was still very unnecessarily close to her face, Miranda closed her eyes and groaned in frustration. Four against one were absolutely terrible odds. She knew when she was beat. “They go to the pound tomorrow. And I’ll not hear another word about it.”

“I will not take them to the pound, Miranda!” Cruella gasped suddenly dropping gracefully to the ground to tuck the puppy back into the box, and promptly draped her body over it dramatically. “I refuse! They need good, safe homes. I will, of course, be personally approving their new owners.”

Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “Exactly how much should I expect to be inconvenienced by all of this?”

“Not in the least. I’ll take care of everything. In fact, I’ll start right now! I’ll supervise while Andy and the girls bathing them.”

“Yes! Awesome,” the twins chorused. 

“Cru,” Andrea exclaimed indignantly.

“Andy, darling, I couldn’t possibly. You know how I dislike removing my gloves.”

“Girls, I told you not to touch them yet.” Miranda reminded them before looking at her lover. “Cruella, be serious. How are you going to feed them? What about their shots? Their records? You don’t even know what breed these puppies are.”

“Oh well, that’s no problem at all Mira. I’ll have Alonzo set something up.”

“Don’t call me that, Cruella. You know how it annoys me. The puppies can stay for tonight. We will discuss further action in the morning. Bobbsies, you may help Andrea bathe them, but be sure you follow her instructions. If you need me, and I’m quite hoping you won’t, I’ll be in the study going over the book.” She took a deep breath, rolled her eyes, and traipsed back up to the study, grumbling in very un-Miranda-like fashion under her breath.

//MAC//

“MIRANDDAAAAAAAA!”

“Oh dear…” Miranda pulled off her glasses and moved the Book to the coffee table. 

“Miranda!” Cruella charged into the study.

“Honestly, the girls managed to grasp the concept of an ‘inside voice’ by the time they were five. Why on earth can’t you?”

“There’s something dreadfully wrong with the puppies!”

“What is it?”

“They won’t eat! I’ve tried getting them to eat Patricia’s food and they simply refuse.”

Miranda sighed deeply, “Cruella that’s because--”

“Miranda, I’m really sorry! I tried to explain.” Andrea came barreling in grasping at Cruella’s arm. “I couldn’t get her to listen.”

“Shocking,” Miranda deadpanned rolling her eyes.

“They aren’t eating!”

“They can’t eat kibble yet. They’re too young. They need milk.” Miranda replied.

“Actually they can probably eat a mixture of milk and wet dog food. I already sent Alonzo to see if he can pick something up, even though it’s almost 9 o’clock I’m sure he’ll be able to find something. In the mean time the twins and I are about ready to bathe them. Wouldn’t you rather come and make sure we’re doing everything to your satisfaction rather than taking Miranda away from her work?”

“Well, of course Andy. All you had to do was say that,” Cruella said gliding out of the room. Andy rolled her eyes at the retreating form of her lover, waving goodbye to Miranda who mouthed “Thank you” as Andy closed the door behind her.

//MAC//

“Cru, did you ever come to bed?” Andy whispered as she stepped into the laundry room where they’d put the puppies. 

Cruella looked up from where she was positioned on the floor, her dress wrinkled and her eyes slightly bloodshot. “Oh? Is it morning already? I’m sorry, darling. I was so worried about these little angels I suppose I lost track of the time.” Her eyes drifted back to where the puppies were cuddled together as she reached down and reverently stroked the head of one of the slumbering puppies.

“It’s ok,” Andy sat down beside her. With gentle fingers she turned Cruella’s face giving her a little smile and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “Miranda and I just missed you is all. We were a little concerned when we woke up and you weren’t in bed with us. I called Alonzo and had him set up an appointment with Patricia’s vet for today.”

“So glad you’re able to make use of the incompetent little weasel.”

“Cru!”

“What? I inherited him… I didn’t ask for him. In any case what time is the appointment? Why must we go again?”

“The vet will probably be able to tell us roughly how old the puppies are, what type of dogs they are, how healthy they are and how best to care for them. We’ll also get them their shots, and find out how long to wait before we need to have them spayed or neutered.” 

“Oh alright…. I don’t want to wake them though. They’re sleeping so peacefully,” she murmured as she scratched the tummy of a different puppy with her index finger, a little smile ghosting her lips.

“Oh, Cru, I just noticed, you aren’t wearing your gloves.” Andy took hold of Cruella’s free hand, planting soft little kisses to her long fingers.

“They’re just so soft, Andy. The way they feel is transfixing. Far better than any fur I’ve ever worn.”

“Cru, please tell me you aren’t thinking of making the dogs into a coat.”

“Andy! That isn’t funny. I would never… they’re so small…. so fragile. I just want to hold them.”

She leaned carefully against her lover, entwining one of her hands with Cruella’s. She pressed her lips against a smooth shoulder. “They’ll get bigger, you know.”

“How much larger will they get?”

“I’m not sure. No way to tell until we have an idea of what breed they are.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll simply revel in the texture of their fur in the meantime then….” Cruella hummed a little as she tickled at one of the puppies, then a different one.

"Alright, but we have to leave in two hours. You should take a quick shower and change. I can watch over the puppies if you’d like." She stood up lightly tugging on the hand still in her grasp. “I’m sure if you ask, Miranda would let you join her in the shower. She hasn’t gotten in yet. She wanted to finish the last few pages of the Book first.”

Cruella gave one of the puppies another scratch on the head before allowing Andy to help pull her up off the floor. “That does sound rather pleasant. Have you showered already?”

“Yeah, I have. I decided to blow dried my hair today. Go on up, Cru. I’ll stay with the puppies.”

“You’ll stay with them the whole time,” Cruella asked, her weary eyes drifting to stare at the sleeping puppies. “You won’t leave?”

“I promise. Now, go on.” She pressed a gentle kiss to Cruella’s lips and gave her a little nudge. “Taking a shower will help wake you up a little. When we get home, we can snuggle up and you can take a nap, okay?”

“Perhaps, we shall see.” The designer didn’t move to leave and her eyes remained focused on the puppies.

“Cruella, there’s no reason to wear yourself out by not sleeping. We can have the puppies beside us, but at some point you’ll need to get a few hours rest. Now, for the last time, go on up and let Miranda take care of you for a little while. I’ll be right here with the puppies.”

After a short hesitation, she backed out of the laundry room and followed Andy’s order, exhaustion easily heard in her shuffling footsteps.

//MAC//

“Are they well, doctor?”

“Um, I haven’t examined them yet Ms. DeVil. You’ve only just come in.”

“Do get on with it then! I’m hardly paying you to stand around.” She turned to Andy to whine, “This man seems incompetent. Are you quite sure he’s qualified?”

Miranda answered first, grumbling, “He’s been taking care of Patricia since she was a puppy. He is qualified. Cruella, be a dear and move so he can actually get to the box containing the little beasts.”

Cassidy and Caroline snickered, each taking hold of one of Cruella’s hands, “Come on, he’s really good. Patricia isn’t even afraid of coming in. The puppies will be just fine.” Cassidy smiled in an attempt to soothe Cruella’s nerves.

“You can stand over here with us and you’ll see what a good job he does,” Caroline said.

“Alright, I suppose. I’ll trust you, my darlings.” Turning to the vet she continued, “But I’m watching you.” Cruella bared her teeth before she backed away from the box, the twins each still holding one of her hands.

The vet stepped forward and smiled. “They are very cute puppies.” He reached inside and carefully removed one of the wiggling puppies. “Just from looking at them I’d say they’re about three, not quite four, weeks. Still small and not recommended to be removed from the mother at this age.” He placed the puppy gently onto the blanket covered table, running his fingers over the soft fur.

“Well, it’s not as if we could have done anything about that! I found them out in the cold!” Cruella snapped.

“He wasn’t judging us, Cru.” Andy was grateful Cruella was holding onto the twins’ hands, she tended to be a handful when she felt defensive.

“It certainly sounded like he was.” She sniffed, curling her fingers just a little tighter when Andy noticed the girls squeeze her hands. “I merely wish to know if they’re healthy, how best to care for them, and what type of dogs they are. Is that really too much to ask of a veterinarian?” 

The vet smiled patiently as he tucked the puppy back into the box and lifted out a second one, “When they’re this young, sometimes it’s difficult to narrow down the breed, but I have noticed some Husky characteristics-”

Cruella cut him off, “So they’re Huskies then?”

“No I-”

“You just said they’ve got Husky characteristics!”

“Yes, but they are a little small for purebred Husky puppies and they are not all the right coloring. My guess is that they are a mixed breed. Husky and a second breed.” He paused his words as he exchanged puppies again. “I’m just doing a very basic look over right now. I will check them more thoroughly before you go.”

“I want to know if they’re healthy and what type of dog they are! Which you were in the middle of saying!”

“Cruella, quit interrupting,” Miranda stated with a snippy tone. “He can’t talk when you’re screeching.”

Andy quickly moved to press a calming hand against each of her lover’s shoulders, a slightly awkward feat with their distance, before saying, “I don’t want any fighting. Do you understand me?” She gave them each a stern look, giving a clear message: stop, or no sex.

“Fine.” They both gritted out.

“Now, you were saying that the puppies seem to be a mix breed. Can you tell what the second breed, or other breeds might be?” Andy asked.

“I believe so. They seem to have Pomeranian-”

“POMSKY!” Cassidy and Caroline shouted before squealing simultaneously.

"A...Pom... Sky?"

“Yea! A Pomeranian mixed with a Husky,” Cassidy said.

"Auntie Cruella, pomskys are adorable," Caroline added pulling a little on Cruella’s arm.

"Jessica was talking about how much it cost her parents to buy her one the other day."

"And now we have seven!"

"This one kinda looks likes you, Auntie Cru."

Andy fought back the urge to laugh at the look on her love’s face. The puppy in the vet’s hands most certainly had the right colors to match. A snowy white, and a sleek black. She looked to see a smirk twitching at the corner of Miranda’s lips, and before she could cut in, Miranda agreed. “Perhaps this puppy could serve as your replacement. The coloring is nearly perfect.”

“A puppy? Replace me? Impossible!”

“I suppose not. There are certainly some areas in life in which you could never be replaced.” Miranda relented, her lips quirking up in the way she smiled while in public.

Andy chuckled when the girls both made a face. “Yuck.”

“God, Mom, can you please stop with innuendos?”

“Oh my god, especially in public. No one wants to hear it.”

Cruella smiled mischievously. “Oh? But it shows how much we love each other. When your mother likes to-”

“Auntie Cru! No!”

“Yiiick! Blech!”

Andy pressed a quick kiss to Cruella’s cheek as the woman cackled.

“Cruella, there must be limits to the teasing, dear.”

The designer sniffed haughtily, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “Oh, I wasn’t going to say anything naughty, darling. I was going to say that when you imply inappropriate things it’s another way to say ‘I love you’.”

Miranda narrowed her gaze. “Of course that’s what you intended to say.”

Cruella huffed in a playful manner before turning her attention to the vet. Her expression grew stoic before she spoke, “Are you done? Are they healthy?”

The vet nodded taking out more of his tools and instruments. “From my quick check up, they all seem to be healthy. I’ll be doing a more extensive check now.” 

“Good.” Cruella crossed her arms and paid close attention as the man went about his job.

//MAC//

Upon arriving home from the vet’s with a bill of clean health and a trip to the pet store, Cruella was curled on top of Andy on the couch. The cardboard box had been replaced with a plastic tub that had a heating blanket in the bottom, and the puppies seemed to enjoy the extra heat. Cruella’s hand, free of it’s glove, dangled down to play with the puppies as she peered into the tub over the side of the couch.

“You’ll have to go to sleep tonight, Cru. You need some rest,” Andy said running her hands over Cruella’s back and pressing a kiss to her hair.

“You underestimate me, Andy, darling. What if they need something? I won’t be able to hear them if they’re in the laundry room and I’m away upstairs unconscious.”

“They’ll be fine. They were fine last night, weren’t they? And we’re far better equipped tonight. You can check on them first thing in the morning. Don’t you have to go into the office tomorrow morning anyway?”

“They’ll be coming with me, of course. I already informed Alonzo. During my free time I’ll be looking for good homes for them.” Cruella sighed dejectedly and wiggled a finger as one of the puppies batted at it with a tiny paw.

“You’re going to take them all with you? Won’t that cause kind of a stir?”

“You mean because people think I want to skin dogs and make them into coats?”

“Uuhhh,” Andy paused rubbing the back of her neck, “I mean, yeah, sort of.” 

Cruella hummed, “Well, even if I wanted to, their fur isn’t nearly long enough to be worth it. Not to mention there’s only the seven of them.”

Andy raised an eyebrow. “Glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

“Despite what some might think, you and I both know I was cleared of all wrongdoing in a court of law.”

“I know, Cru. I just don’t want anyone saying anything rude to you.”

“Oh, darling. You needn’t fret, anyone on my payroll is far too terrified of me for that.”

“Mmm, I should have guessed. Now, rest for a bit. The puppies are right here with us.”

Taking a slow breath, Cruella nuzzled her head beneath Andy’s chin and sighed. “Well, perhaps I can simply close my eyes for a little while.”

Andy felt relief flood through her system, when not a moment later the older woman was snoring gently against her breast, the puppies nipping and batting at her limp fingers still hanging into their enclosure.

**Author's Note:**

> We'd love to hear your thoughts!


End file.
